Defending National Futures champion Frazer Droop will attempt to go back-to-back next week at Ballarat Golf Club when the world’s richest PGA Trainee Championship tees off on Tuesday.

Droop, a second year PGA Trainee at Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort under his father PGA Professional Evan Droop, has been dominant on the Trainee scene winning six events already this year including the NSW/ACT and VIC/TAS/SA state PGA Trainee championships.

He recorded a comfortable win in 2017, winning the $60,000 event by three shots from New South Welshman Robbie Hogan.

“Any time you defend a title is a pretty good sign you can play well around that course and my game is looking pretty good at the moment,” said Droop, who is fresh off playing in the Victorian PGA Championship at RACV Cape Schanck Resort where he finished tied for fourth and set a course record of 8-under 62.

“The Ballarat Golf Club is quite long off the back tees and it gets pretty windy out there at times but I enjoy the challenge of playing in the wind. It should be a great week.”

As one of the in-form Trainees in the field this week, Droop expects stiff competition from his fellow future PGA Professionals and good friends on the playing circuit.

“We’re all just out there trying to beat each other, at the end of the day we’re all really good mates, as soon as we walk off the 18^th hole we’re straight back to being good mates.

“But when we’re out there on the course it is all business.”

The winner of the National Futures Championship receives automatic exemption into the Australian PGA Championship at RACV Royal Pines Resort from 29 November – 2 December, one of the marquee events on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and co-sanctioned with the European Tour.

This year it will be headlined by defending champion Cameron Smith, four-time PGA TOUR champion Marc Leishman and Englishman Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston.

Droop will be aiming to make back-to-back appearances at the $1.5 million tournament and will not be daunted by the star-studded line-up after teeing it up last year with one of Australia’s most successful golfers.

“That was a really good experience, I actually got to play with Robert Allenby up there and it was great to play two rounds with him and hear a few of his stories,” added Droop.

“It’ll be good if I can at least give it a good nudge in the final round, but whoever can play the best during the week will obviously get the title and deserve it too.”

PGA Trainees have the chance to cash-in off the course at the world’s richest PGA Trainee event with the BMW TrackMan Open onsite at Ballarat Golf Club.

The six-month global Combine challenge open to all golfers sees two tournaments running at the same time – a Female-only and an Open contest – giving the unique opportunity to play against the best players in the world while competing for prizes totaling $120,000.

The Trainee Professionals can win cash prizes; amateurs have the chance to win a spot at the 2019 BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am event in England.

By the end of October, the 2018 winners will be announced, and the grand prizes of $50,000 for the Open category, and $25,000 for the Female category will be awarded to the leading TrackMan scores.

For more information on the BMW TrackMan Open, visit bmwtrackmanopen.com.

The 2018 National Futures Championship will be held at Ballarat Golf Club from 23-26 October.

To view the full field, visit pga.org.au.